Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Four Downs: Notre Dame
September 17, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
A tale of two halves doom the Eagles before a sold-out crowd
There was a moment following Saturday's 49-20 loss where Boston College head coach Steve Addazio's frustration could be felt. After two and a half quarters of football, he watched his team go toe-to-toe with their arch nemesis, Notre Dame. His team trailing by only one, he felt the energy of a sold-out Alumni Stadium and could sense something special in the air.
And then it happened. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush ripped off a 46-yard run to set up a touchdown. BC quarterback Anthony Brown threw a 50-50 ball along the sideline that was intercepted. Josh Adams rumbled for 36 yards, Wimbush connected on a long pass, then ran in another score. Just like that, a 14-13, evenly-played game became 28-13, a quick technical knockout hit en route to a 29-point victory.
"I was enjoying that football game," Addazio said. "I really was. (Then) just aggravated that we let that seven minutes of the third quarter and then the first five of the fourth; just let that get away right there."
Prior to that third quarter, BC traded shots in what was fast becoming a heavyweight shootout. Trailing 14-10 at halftime, the Eagles ran 44 plays in the first two quarters for 228 yards. Jon Hilliman was already approaching 100 yards, and Anthony Brown was 11-for-18 passing. Though Notre Dame cut through BC's defense for a couple of chunk plays, the Eagles had an interception and were clearly holding their own.
"There was a lot of good football plays in there (on) both sides of the ball," Addazio said. "It was a hell of a game, but at that point, right around the midpoint of that third quarter, that series, we took a hit on it. We came back on offense and ran one (drive) down the field. It was a beautiful drive for a touchdown which brought us back, and at that point in time I felt like we still had a really good chance to win that football game. But our inability to stop the run, they popped for big ones on us, and that hurt us."
Saturday was one of those games where statistics piled up. Brown finished with 20-plus completions for the second time while also attempting 40 passes for the second time, setting a season and career high for passing yards and touchdowns. Jon Hilliman ran for over 100 yards for the sixth time in his career and the first since the season-opener of last season. Charlie Callinan had career highs in receptions and yards.
Defensively, the Eagles watched Ty Schwab finish with a career-best 10 tackles. Zach Allen tallied nine on his own, including one for a loss, while defensive back Lukas Denis continued to excel in the secondary.
Despite all of that, BC lost by a wide margin, making the loss an especially tough pill to swallow.
"When you talk to these guys in the locker room, there morale is not down," Addazio said. "They're mad. There's a lot of pride, and they're mad. We've got to go back and we're going to have to make some adjustments personnel-wise right now. We're going to have to make some additions, changes (and) look for some more people to refit where we are right now."
Here's some other major takeaways from the loss to the Irish.
*****
First Down: Next Level Execution
BC's second offensive drive opened up with a rollout pass to Tommy Sweeney for 10 yards, setting up 16 yards rushing by AJ Dillon. Another pass to Charlie Callinan gained 10 yards, setting up Colton Lichtenberg's 38-yard field goal.
Later on, in the second quarter, Jon Hilliman ran for a 29-yard run, taking the offense over midfield. Splicing him and Dillon with a Brown completion to Travis Levy, the Eagles executed an 85-yard drive in three minutes. It ended with a 20-yard Brown-to-Callinan pass for a touchdown, answering any immediate questions about the offense after the Wake Forest game.
"Quarterbacks, they have tough weeks and it's really about how they respond, which signifies how they're going to play the next week," Callinan said. "(Anthony's) been awesome. He really rallied the troops together. We got a couple great leaders on this team, and he's one of them."
The positive execution, however, got hung in the face of a Notre Dame surge. The third quarter had the aforementioned touchdown-turnover-touchdown exchange. The Irish had all kinds of momentum, and they opened up a fast lead by riding that wave.
Stopping that charge is incredibly difficult. BC got a taste of how it's done in the fourth quarter after Notre Dame scored again to increase their lead to 35-13. The offense went on a 14-play drive that ended with Brown again hitting Callinan for a score, then forced a three-and-out.
"I went up, ran a wheel route, pulled it down, hit the ground and secured (the ball) through the catch," Callinan said. "The (defensive back) got his hand in there after I was on the ground. I caught it, the ref saw it, they reviewed it and they couldn't overturn it. Anthony made a great ball, threw it up, trusted it. He trusted the receiver was going to be there in the spot that he needed to be. He makes plays like that all the time in practice, so it's really no surprise to me."
But Notre Dame popped the proverbial balloon. Forcing a fumble, they created a short field. They scored again, slamming the door shut on BC's momentum swing.
As the season progresses, the next challenge becomes stopping an opponent with that much surge. It's a hard lesson to learn, especially because it requires a defeat, but it's one they need to learn to achieve their next layer.
"At the end of the game, we were still a two-score game," Addazio said. "We're trying to get it back up the field and we called a draw, we got a first down, (but) we put the ball on the ground. That unwound us, gave them a short field, and they scored right there."
*****
Second Down: The Defense
Notre Dame running back Josh Adams rolled on Saturday, gaining 229 yards on 18 carries. He wore out would-be tacklers by steamrolling ahead, and he used a thick, powerful frame to shed defenders, becoming the first 200-yard running back against BC since James Conner in 2014. His 65-yard run in the first quarter was his longest of the day, but he added runs of 64 yards in the second quarter and 36 yards in the second quarter.
"(It's) a very aggressive group, downhill linebackers, and we wanted to create a little bit of misdirection and pull," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "That's a play that we use against certain defenses that have that very aggressive (drive) at the line of scrimmage."
But quarterback Brandon Wimbush likely owns the day-after headlines after putting together one of the most unique days by any Fighting Irish player. His 207 yards shattered Bill Etter's 146-yard record set against Navy in 1969, and Wimbush became the first Irish player with four touchdowns since Emmett Mosley's scoring outburst in 1994 (also against Navy).
"We've got a fantastic competitor, a kid with terrific grit and toughness," Kelly said. "I think as we move into the season, we're starting to develop a little bit more of who we are offensively and what he can do and what his skill set is. He's going to develop in the passing game. That's just a matter of time."
For BC, it will never be acceptable to surrender that yardage. It creates immediate questions of how to fix, with answers falling to a coaching staff digesting the game in real time and to players who expect themselves to be better and more consistent during the game.
"We got out of our gaps, and we didn't tackle well at the second level," Steve Addazio said. "There were a couple times the safety should have fit the runs in there, and we missed tackles. Those were missed tackles, and a couple times we hopped out of our gaps, and they popped us for some big runs in there."
*****
Third Down: Special Teams
Colton Lichtenberg went 2-for-2 on field goals, converting kicks from 38 and 41 yards. He added two PATs to remain perfect in both categories. Now 6-for-6 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points this year, he's taken three games to surpass his freshman year, career-best output of 15 points with 23 in 2017.
Mike Knoll averaged 38.4 yards per punt, kicking for 307 yards over eight attempts. Seven of his eight punts landed inside the 20-yard line, more than doubling his season total to 13, and his 51-yard punt was his third of the year over 50 yards. He's now averaging just under 40 yards on the season, having booted 957 yards in field position battle over 24 attempts.
And on kickoffs, Max Schulze-Geisthovel simply continues to excel. Ten of his 14 kicks this season are touchbacks, and all five of his kicks against the Irish were unreturnable. He's now averaging over 60 yards per kick.
"Both their kickers are outstanding," Kelly said. "They're as good as I've seen. Their punter, their kicker, we were up against it in terms of field position in the entire first half. We were trying to grind out and be very careful. Clearly that was part of some of the play calling and being very careful with the football. We tried to be very careful right before the half, and certainly, unfortunately, it led to a turnover, but our defense stood strong there and we got out of the half."
In the first half, only three of Notre Dame's eight drives were more than five plays, and only two drives the entire half lasted longer than two minutes (one was a three-and-out). The seven-play, 44-yard drive ended in a turnover on downs. The only other seven-play drive was the 92-yard drive that included Adams' 64-yard run in the second quarter.
*****
Fourth Down: Offensive Line
The Boston College offensive line lived under a microscope after two games. Losing starting center Jon Baker didn't help, and they entered Saturday needing to take their next step as a unit. Having done that against Notre Dame, their subsequent moves this week have to be about elevating their game against one of the best defenses in the nation next week.
"I thought our offensive line played well today," Addazio said. "I was proud of them. They've been beat up, and we've lost three starters off that unit. They played against a very stout defense, and I thought they played well. We've got to look at the big plays we let up on defense, and we've just got to keep hammering away (on offense). We can throw it and we can run it, we've just got to do it with more consistency."
*****
Point After: Clemson
There's no rest for the weary. Next Saturday is a trip to Death Valley and a date with the defending national champions.
The No. 3 Tigers rolled past No. 14 Louisville, 47-21. A 7-7 game after the first quarter, Clemson rattled off 26 points to take a 33-7 lead after three. Kelly Bryant threw for 316 yards, and both Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster just missed 100 yards as the Tigers rolled up over 600 yards on the Cardinals on the road.
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And then it happened. Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush ripped off a 46-yard run to set up a touchdown. BC quarterback Anthony Brown threw a 50-50 ball along the sideline that was intercepted. Josh Adams rumbled for 36 yards, Wimbush connected on a long pass, then ran in another score. Just like that, a 14-13, evenly-played game became 28-13, a quick technical knockout hit en route to a 29-point victory.
"I was enjoying that football game," Addazio said. "I really was. (Then) just aggravated that we let that seven minutes of the third quarter and then the first five of the fourth; just let that get away right there."
Prior to that third quarter, BC traded shots in what was fast becoming a heavyweight shootout. Trailing 14-10 at halftime, the Eagles ran 44 plays in the first two quarters for 228 yards. Jon Hilliman was already approaching 100 yards, and Anthony Brown was 11-for-18 passing. Though Notre Dame cut through BC's defense for a couple of chunk plays, the Eagles had an interception and were clearly holding their own.
"There was a lot of good football plays in there (on) both sides of the ball," Addazio said. "It was a hell of a game, but at that point, right around the midpoint of that third quarter, that series, we took a hit on it. We came back on offense and ran one (drive) down the field. It was a beautiful drive for a touchdown which brought us back, and at that point in time I felt like we still had a really good chance to win that football game. But our inability to stop the run, they popped for big ones on us, and that hurt us."
Saturday was one of those games where statistics piled up. Brown finished with 20-plus completions for the second time while also attempting 40 passes for the second time, setting a season and career high for passing yards and touchdowns. Jon Hilliman ran for over 100 yards for the sixth time in his career and the first since the season-opener of last season. Charlie Callinan had career highs in receptions and yards.
Defensively, the Eagles watched Ty Schwab finish with a career-best 10 tackles. Zach Allen tallied nine on his own, including one for a loss, while defensive back Lukas Denis continued to excel in the secondary.
Despite all of that, BC lost by a wide margin, making the loss an especially tough pill to swallow.
"When you talk to these guys in the locker room, there morale is not down," Addazio said. "They're mad. There's a lot of pride, and they're mad. We've got to go back and we're going to have to make some adjustments personnel-wise right now. We're going to have to make some additions, changes (and) look for some more people to refit where we are right now."
Here's some other major takeaways from the loss to the Irish.
*****
First Down: Next Level Execution
BC's second offensive drive opened up with a rollout pass to Tommy Sweeney for 10 yards, setting up 16 yards rushing by AJ Dillon. Another pass to Charlie Callinan gained 10 yards, setting up Colton Lichtenberg's 38-yard field goal.
Later on, in the second quarter, Jon Hilliman ran for a 29-yard run, taking the offense over midfield. Splicing him and Dillon with a Brown completion to Travis Levy, the Eagles executed an 85-yard drive in three minutes. It ended with a 20-yard Brown-to-Callinan pass for a touchdown, answering any immediate questions about the offense after the Wake Forest game.
"Quarterbacks, they have tough weeks and it's really about how they respond, which signifies how they're going to play the next week," Callinan said. "(Anthony's) been awesome. He really rallied the troops together. We got a couple great leaders on this team, and he's one of them."
The positive execution, however, got hung in the face of a Notre Dame surge. The third quarter had the aforementioned touchdown-turnover-touchdown exchange. The Irish had all kinds of momentum, and they opened up a fast lead by riding that wave.
Stopping that charge is incredibly difficult. BC got a taste of how it's done in the fourth quarter after Notre Dame scored again to increase their lead to 35-13. The offense went on a 14-play drive that ended with Brown again hitting Callinan for a score, then forced a three-and-out.
"I went up, ran a wheel route, pulled it down, hit the ground and secured (the ball) through the catch," Callinan said. "The (defensive back) got his hand in there after I was on the ground. I caught it, the ref saw it, they reviewed it and they couldn't overturn it. Anthony made a great ball, threw it up, trusted it. He trusted the receiver was going to be there in the spot that he needed to be. He makes plays like that all the time in practice, so it's really no surprise to me."
But Notre Dame popped the proverbial balloon. Forcing a fumble, they created a short field. They scored again, slamming the door shut on BC's momentum swing.
As the season progresses, the next challenge becomes stopping an opponent with that much surge. It's a hard lesson to learn, especially because it requires a defeat, but it's one they need to learn to achieve their next layer.
"At the end of the game, we were still a two-score game," Addazio said. "We're trying to get it back up the field and we called a draw, we got a first down, (but) we put the ball on the ground. That unwound us, gave them a short field, and they scored right there."
*****
Second Down: The Defense
Notre Dame running back Josh Adams rolled on Saturday, gaining 229 yards on 18 carries. He wore out would-be tacklers by steamrolling ahead, and he used a thick, powerful frame to shed defenders, becoming the first 200-yard running back against BC since James Conner in 2014. His 65-yard run in the first quarter was his longest of the day, but he added runs of 64 yards in the second quarter and 36 yards in the second quarter.
"(It's) a very aggressive group, downhill linebackers, and we wanted to create a little bit of misdirection and pull," Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. "That's a play that we use against certain defenses that have that very aggressive (drive) at the line of scrimmage."
But quarterback Brandon Wimbush likely owns the day-after headlines after putting together one of the most unique days by any Fighting Irish player. His 207 yards shattered Bill Etter's 146-yard record set against Navy in 1969, and Wimbush became the first Irish player with four touchdowns since Emmett Mosley's scoring outburst in 1994 (also against Navy).
"We've got a fantastic competitor, a kid with terrific grit and toughness," Kelly said. "I think as we move into the season, we're starting to develop a little bit more of who we are offensively and what he can do and what his skill set is. He's going to develop in the passing game. That's just a matter of time."
For BC, it will never be acceptable to surrender that yardage. It creates immediate questions of how to fix, with answers falling to a coaching staff digesting the game in real time and to players who expect themselves to be better and more consistent during the game.
"We got out of our gaps, and we didn't tackle well at the second level," Steve Addazio said. "There were a couple times the safety should have fit the runs in there, and we missed tackles. Those were missed tackles, and a couple times we hopped out of our gaps, and they popped us for some big runs in there."
*****
Third Down: Special Teams
Colton Lichtenberg went 2-for-2 on field goals, converting kicks from 38 and 41 yards. He added two PATs to remain perfect in both categories. Now 6-for-6 on field goals and 5-for-5 on extra points this year, he's taken three games to surpass his freshman year, career-best output of 15 points with 23 in 2017.
Mike Knoll averaged 38.4 yards per punt, kicking for 307 yards over eight attempts. Seven of his eight punts landed inside the 20-yard line, more than doubling his season total to 13, and his 51-yard punt was his third of the year over 50 yards. He's now averaging just under 40 yards on the season, having booted 957 yards in field position battle over 24 attempts.
And on kickoffs, Max Schulze-Geisthovel simply continues to excel. Ten of his 14 kicks this season are touchbacks, and all five of his kicks against the Irish were unreturnable. He's now averaging over 60 yards per kick.
"Both their kickers are outstanding," Kelly said. "They're as good as I've seen. Their punter, their kicker, we were up against it in terms of field position in the entire first half. We were trying to grind out and be very careful. Clearly that was part of some of the play calling and being very careful with the football. We tried to be very careful right before the half, and certainly, unfortunately, it led to a turnover, but our defense stood strong there and we got out of the half."
In the first half, only three of Notre Dame's eight drives were more than five plays, and only two drives the entire half lasted longer than two minutes (one was a three-and-out). The seven-play, 44-yard drive ended in a turnover on downs. The only other seven-play drive was the 92-yard drive that included Adams' 64-yard run in the second quarter.
*****
Fourth Down: Offensive Line
The Boston College offensive line lived under a microscope after two games. Losing starting center Jon Baker didn't help, and they entered Saturday needing to take their next step as a unit. Having done that against Notre Dame, their subsequent moves this week have to be about elevating their game against one of the best defenses in the nation next week.
"I thought our offensive line played well today," Addazio said. "I was proud of them. They've been beat up, and we've lost three starters off that unit. They played against a very stout defense, and I thought they played well. We've got to look at the big plays we let up on defense, and we've just got to keep hammering away (on offense). We can throw it and we can run it, we've just got to do it with more consistency."
*****
Point After: Clemson
There's no rest for the weary. Next Saturday is a trip to Death Valley and a date with the defending national champions.
The No. 3 Tigers rolled past No. 14 Louisville, 47-21. A 7-7 game after the first quarter, Clemson rattled off 26 points to take a 33-7 lead after three. Kelly Bryant threw for 316 yards, and both Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster just missed 100 yards as the Tigers rolled up over 600 yards on the Cardinals on the road.
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Players Mentioned
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